Method of and apparatus for starting and sustaining operation of an explosive-engine.



F. W; THUBSTON. I

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR STARTING AND SUSTAININGOPERATION OF AN EXPLOSIVE ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 4. I916. I

1382,6555 Patented 001;. 22, 1918.

6M ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PA'IEN FEE.

FRED WALLACE THURSTON, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR T0 THURSTON IVIO'IOB, FUEL GASIFIER COMPANY OF CALIFORNIA, OF SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, A

GORYORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

METHGD OF AND APPARATUS F03 STARTING AND SUSTAINING OPERATION OF AN EXPLOSIVE-ENGIN E.

9 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 22, 1918.

Original application filed (Ectober 13, 1915, Serial No. 55,661. Divided and this application filed December 4, 1916. Serial No. 134,965.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED WALLACE Tnons- TON, a citizen of the United States, resldlng at San Francisco, in the county of San Fran cisco and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Methods of and Apparatus for Starting and Sustain ng Operation of an Explosive-Engine, of whlch the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved method of and apparatus for starting an explosive engine without priming, this application being a divisional application wlth respect to my application filed October 13, 1915, Serial No. 55,661, for improvement in Vaporizers.

It is a feature of this invention to collect the condensate in the manifold when the engine cools OE, and retain this collected condensate, in such a manner as to enrich the initial thin restarting mixture. By enriching this thin initial restarting mixture, I am able to obtain a sufiicient number of initial or starting explosions in the engine to not only partially warm up the same but also, to supply a certain requisite in1t1al volume of exhaust gases from the cylinders, which exhaust gases are utilized as a heating medium. Subsequent to the actual starting of the engine, it is important to supply the cylinders with a dry combustible mixture so that the operation of the engine can be continued.

Now in the use of distillate or other low grade hydrocarbons, it is not only difficult to get a dry mixture from any ordinary carbureter but it is even difficult to get, especially at thestarting period, an efficient pickup of the fuel to even impregnate the air sufiicientlyto make an operative explosive mixture. When using distillate, that mixture, following'the first initial thin inrushing air, is heavily ladened with globules and mist of 'liquid particles which would objec'tionably carbonize the interior portlons of the engine if admitted thereto.

Now therefore it is an object of this invention not only to enrich the first thin re starting'air but it is also an object to vapor ize the subsequent fuel liquid ladened air in such a manner as to supply the engine with a dry combustible gas, and support the ignition, by such a mixture as will cause the engine to continue to operate after it has been started.

Therefore, after the first thin inrushing mixture has been enriched by the collected and retained condensate, I apply the heat from the exhaust gases, resulting from the initial explosions, in such a way as to break up the fuel particles and vaporize the subsequent mixture following the first thin inrushing mixture.

In the accompanying drawing I will more particularly describe the manner in which the improved method is carried out and in the appended claims I will particularly point out th novelty of the invention.

As illustrated, 1 designates, as a whole, an intake manifold for a four cylinder explosive engine and it will be observed that the manifold is constructed to drain into an attaching terminal end :2, to which is attached a device for carrying out my improved method. f

This device includes an outer shell 3 having inlet and outlet pipes 4E and 5 for passage through the outer shell of a heating medium consisting of the exhaust gases from the engine. The outer shell 3, has an inner shell 6, preferably cylindrical, which func tions as a primary heating surface, and between which inner shell and outer shell the exhaust gases pass. I reduce the inner shell 6, as indicated at 7 ,and thread on to the reduced end 7, a cap 8, to which the terminal 2 may be secured by its flange 9, in any desired manner. The reduced end 7 forms an outlet 10 which is preferably equal in diameter to the terminal 2. The bottom of the shell 3 is recessed at 11 to receive a deflector 12 which preferably extends transversely across the path of the supplied mixture. The outer margin of the deflector 12 is interposed between shell 3 and a fitting 18. the latter being coupled at 14, to a pipe 15, leading from a suitable means of supply of the fuel mixture, such as the carbureter. The deflector 12 is provided with a series of openings 16, which are preferably laterally disposed, radially with respect to the bore 17, so that the incoming fuel will be deflected outwardly, radially, against the inner face 18, of the shell 6. For this purpose, the fitting 13 is flared at 19 to provide passagefor .a suitable volume of the mixture.

I preferably mount upon the deflector 12, an obconic screen 20, having its lower margin 21 spaced a considerable distance from the shell 6, and its upper margin 22, disposed closely adjacent shell 6. The top of the screen 20 is open, as indicated at 23, the opening 23 being preferably equal in diameter to the outlet bore 10. Thus it will be seen that the screen 20 is interposed in the path of the mixture in such a manner that all of the mixture leaving shell 6 is suction drawn by the engine through said screen.

After an explosive engine has been brought to a position of rest subsequent to operation, the gas or fuel in the intake or manifold condenses, after the parts cool, and this leaves the walls of the intake coated with a sweat or covering of globules of liquid fuel. This liquid condensate very efliciently and quickly impregnates air or a thin mixture to form a rich explosive vapor. Now this condensation drains down the intake, and because of the fact that the screen collector is interposed in its path of this condensation, and because of the mesh openings of this collector are too small for the condensate to pass theretln'ough, l have found that after the engine has cooled off, and in taking out the screen 20, that the latter is coated and dampened with this condensate.

Now in restarting an engine, especially when using a low grade hydro-carbon, but even in the case of gasolene, the first inrush or influx of air fails to pick up a su'liicient amount of the liquid fuel so as to enter the cylinder as a rich vapor, and therefore in. most cases it is necessary to prime, in one manneror another. However, with my improved device, the first influx of restarting thin mixture is so rich, by passage through the film coated collector, that it is not neces sary to prime the engine because the first influx mixture is sufficiently rich to make effective explosions.

Immediately after these initial explosions have been obtained, the exhaust gases are applied as a heating medium to heat up the shell 6 and the screen so that the mixture immediately following the initial or starting mixture, and which is heavily ladened with fuel particles in liquid form, will be under the action of heat so that it will be transformed into a dry vapor when it enters the engine.

Thus after I first obtain the initial explosion, the next step is to so treat the following mixture that the operation of the engine will be sustained until the engine becomes heated to such an extent that it will operate in good working form.

It will be understood that in the employment of my improved-method, the engine will not be under load, as the primary purpose of this novel method 1s to get the en giue under operation in the total absence of any load.

An additional advantage results from the fact that I not only start the engine without priming but I am able to start the engine and avoid the admission thereto of a mixture which is heavily ladened with fuel particles, and which invariably increases carbonization.

The interdependence between the method step of collecting and retaining the condensate in the path of the thin inrushing mix ture, on the one hand, and the subsequent step of immediately after initial explosion, of a iiplying heat so that the subsequent. or following mixture will be vaporized, should now be perfectly clear. However, 1 consider it novel, as a method, to first collect and then retain. the condensate in the path of the first thin inrushing mixture irrespective as to how the following mixture is treated.

It is believed that the novelty and utility of myimproved method will be fully understood froin the foregoing description, and while I have herein shown and described apparatus for carrying out my improved method, it will be understood that I do not wish to be limited to this apparatus as the invention resides in the method and I therefore do not wish to be limited at all except for such limitations as the claims may import.

I claim 1. An improved method of starting and sustaining operation of an explosive engine, which consists, in collecting fuel condensate formed in the cooled engine and retaining the same in the path of the thin restarting influx to enrich the latter sufficiently to ob tain starting explosions, and in applying the exhaust gases from such initial explosions to heat the mixture following the thin starting influx to sustain operation of the engine after the same has been started, substantially as described. I

2. An improved method of starting and sustaining operation of an explosive engine, which consists, in collecting fuelcondensate formed in the cooled engine and retaining the same in the path of the thin starting influx to enrich the latter sufficiently to obtain starting explosions and in applying heat to the liquid fuel lac ened mixture following the thin starting influx to thereby sustain operation of the engine after the same-has been started, substantially as'descriloed.

3. As an improved method of starting an explosive engine, which consists,in collecting and retaining fuel condensate formed in the cooled engine intake, and in forcing the usual thin restarting influx against such collected fuel condensate to enrich such initial influx prior to its admission to the engine, substantially as described.

4:. An improved method of starting and sustaining operation of an explosive engine, which consists, in collecting fuel condensate formed in a cooled engine by a fine mesh screen positioned to cause the condensate to drain directly onto and progressively film over the interstices of the screen by gravity and in the path of the thin restarting influx to enrich the latter sufficiently to obtain starting explosions, and in applying the exhaust gases from such initial explosions to heat the richer mixture following the thin starting influx to thereby sustain operation of the engine after the same has been started, substantially as described.

5. In a device for vaporizing fuel, a screen collector, means for heating the fuel before the latter is drawn through said screen collector, said collector being disposed in the path of the fuel so that the condensate formed in the engine intake may be deposited on the collector thereby enriching the restarting initial influx, substantially as described.

6. As an improved means for restarting an explosive engine, a screen collector disposed in the path of drain of the fuel condensate from the engine intake to collect and retain such condensate for enrichment of the initial thin restarting mixture, and means for utilizing the initial restarting exhaust from the explosions of such enriched thin mixture to heat said collector and vaporize the richer mixture immediately following said initial thin re-starting mixture, substantially as described.

7. As an improved means for restarting an explosive engine, a screen collector disposed substantially edgewise in the path of drain of the fuel condensate from the engine intake to collect and retain such condensate for enrichment of the initial thin restarting mixture, and means for applying the heat of the initial restarting exhaust from the explosions of such enriched thin mixture to heat said collector and vaporize the richer mixture immediately following said initial thin restarting mixture, substantially as described.

8. As an improved means for restarting an explosive engine, a screen collector disposed in the path of drain of the fuel condensate from the engine intake to collect and retain such condensate for enrichment of the initial thin restarting mixture, a screen heating member along side of said screen, and means for applying the heat of the initial restarting exhaust from the explosions of such enriched thin mixture to said heater to heat said collector and vaporize the richer mixture immediately following said initial thin restarting mixture, substantially as described.

9. As an improved means for restarting an explosive engine, a screen collector disposed substantially edgeWise in the path of drain of the fuel condensate from the engine intake to collect and retain such condensate for enrichment of the initial thin restarting mixture, a screen heating member disposed along side of said screen, and means for ap plying the initial restarting exhaust from explosions of such enriched thin mixture to said heating member to heat said collector and vaporize the richer mixture immediately following said initial thin restarting mixture, substantially as described.

10. In a device for gasifying fuel, a screen collector, means for heating the fuel drawn through said screen collector, said collector being disposed in the path of the fuel so that the condensate formed in the engine intake may be deposited on the collector there by enriching the restarting initial influx. substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my oWn, I hereby afiix my signature.

FRED WALLACE THURSTON Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. O. 

